Fifty-six percent (56%) of American adults favor an enforcement-only approach to immigration reform. Only 29% are opposed.

However, support falls sharply when “a path to citizenship” for illegal aliens already in the United States is added to the mix. Just 42% support the more “comprehensive” approach while 44% are opposed. This proposal was similar to a “grand bargain” announced by Senator Arlen Specter earlier in the week.

Specter’s outline included a provision to add 6,000 border patrol agents along the US-Mexican border. That would double the number of border agents and is supported by 62% of Americans. Only 24% are opposed.

The public is more evenly divided on a far more aggressive approach to add 100,000 border patrol agents. Forty-three percent (43%) favor such an approach while 37% are opposed. Republicans favor this approach by a 2-to-1 margin. Democrats and those not affiliated with either major party are evenly divided.

Earlier surveys have consistently found strong popular support for another aspect of Specter’s proposal—strict penalties on those who hire illegal aliens. A survey released last week showed that most Americans continue to believe that controlling the border should be the primary focus of immigration reform.

The enforcement-only approach was defined as a proposal to “build a fence along the Mexican border, assign more border patrol agents, and impose strict penalties on anyone who hires illegal aliens. The proposal would do nothing to legalize the status of illegal aliens already in the country.”

After hearing that, survey respondents were asked a follow-up question: “A different proposal has been made that also includes a fence along the Mexican border, more border patrol agents, strict penalties on anyone who hires illegal aliens. This proposal, however, would also offer illegal aliens a path to citizenship if they pay back taxes and other fines. Would you favor or oppose this proposal?”

Rasmussen Reports conducts ongoing surveys measuring the attitudes of Americans on the news of the day. Recent surveys have asked about the DC Madam, gun control, the Supreme Court decision on partial-birth abortion, the FDA and food safety, the CIA and George Tenet’s book, and the subpoena’s issued to Condoleezza Rice. The latest updates can be found on the Rasmussen Reports home page.

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Rasmussen Reports releases updated polling data on the Democrat Nomination Process every Monday and on the Republican contest every Tuesday. Results for the Generic Congressional Ballot are updated monthly.

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